The Patriots could add a running back (or two) to their roster.
Bill Belichick released Terez Hall on Thursday afternoon with an injury designation, so now New England’s roster has two open spots. They’re currently at 88 players.
It’s unclear what Hall’s injury was, but the veteran linebacker had missed four straight practices.
An undrafted free agent in 2019, Hall has toggled off and on the Patriots practice squad quite a bit since his rookie year. He made an impact on the active roster in 2020, appearing in eight games and registering 50 tackles, but hadn’t played a snap since. He was facing an uphill battle for a roster spot this summer, as New England boasts strong depth in the front seven.
With the two open roster spots, Belichick could look at address his running back situation. At practice this week, there have been days when only three backs were available, as Ty Montgomery is already banged up and the Patriots are giving Rhamondre Stevenson a really light workload; some days he just runs on the conditioning fields. That’s left just second-year backs Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris, along with J.J. Taylor.
The Patriots have been in the market for another back. Belichick expressed interest in Dalvin Cook this summer, and he’s brought in veterans Leonard Fournette, Darrell Henderson, and most recently, Ezekiel Elliott for visits. Mac Jones and Elliott were photographed out to dinner after the long-time Cowboy’s visit, and on Thursday, the Patriots quarterback was asked about his role as a recruiter.
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“I think it’s really important as a leader to just try and go out there and show them that we’re all here to be together and to win,” Jones said. “They’ve done that here for forever, and we’re trying to get back to that more consistently. I think the guys that we have on our team are doing a really good job.
“I think whenever I have a chance to kind of explain and try to get them on the team, it’s a good thing. It’s never a bad thing, right? You want to have as many great players as you can. I’ve just been really pleased with the guys we have in the room, because it’s plenty enough, and we just have got to come together and make it work.”
